MOTHER WITH BIPOLAR STRUGGLES STRANGLES BABY AT DERBY HOSPITAL, SENTENCED TO HOSPITAL ORDER
A mother who strangled her five-month-old son while she was in a specialist care unit has been placed under a hospital order.Conor Young died on 12 July at the Radbourne Unit in Derby where he was staying with Samantha Pink as she underwent treatment.
Nottingham Crown Court heard friends and family called her a "loving" mother.
The 39-year-old had admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
The court was told Pink, previously of Jessop Drive in Derby, experienced mental health issues in her teens.
Prosecutor Mary Prior QC stated that from 2000 Pink appeared to have had "positively good mental health," but problems breastfeeding her child in March 2018 caused her mental state to deteriorate.
She voluntarily entered residential care the day after her son was born, on 7 February, fearing her mental health might relapse, and was admitted to the Radbourne Unit again in March.
Pink was discharged in May but went missing on 27 June.
When found she had reportedly said she intended to take her own life and was re-admitted, with her son joining her there on 29 June.
Pink was monitored by staff, initially every 15 minutes, then hourly, with no problems reported during the morning of 12 July.
At 12:05, a nurse found her sitting on her bed with her son limp in her arms, and she said "I've done something really bad, I've strangled him." Pink told police she had been planning it for four days but did not report her thoughts to medical staff.
The court heard she was severely impaired by bipolar affective disorder at the time.
Sentencing judge Jeremy Baker QC stated Pink strangled her son because she was "overwhelmed" by her mental health and stress, despite seeking and following medical care and showing deep remorse.
She was placed under a hospital order under Section 37 of the Mental Health Act 1983, and also under a restriction order in Section 41.
The trust's medical director expressed condolences and emphasized their commitment to learning and improving practices after this rare and tragic incident.
